


Sober (I bet you didn't know)

by auber_jean



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21954898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auber_jean/pseuds/auber_jean
Summary: “Huang,” one of his seniors says. Renjun can barely tell who it is through the haze of alcohol. ”Your boyfriend is here.”"What?"Renjun manages to drag his eyes to stare at the figure in front of the table. Tall, dark hair, pale skin, and nose bridge far too distinguishable to be mistaken for anyone else.Oh god.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Comments: 41
Kudos: 927





	Sober (I bet you didn't know)

**Author's Note:**

> A special shout out to those of the jenren-nation, [jenrenbot](https://twitter.com/jenrenbot?lang=en) and jazz ([bydreamies](https://twitter.com/bydreamies?lang=en)). Thanks for keeping the jenren love alive.
> 
> Inspired by 아아님‘s [fanart](https://twitter.com/ameri_iced/status/1080873669243502593?s=21) :D

Hazy. 

That’s how Renjun feels right at this moment. 

He blinks, the weight on his eyelids causing them to flicker slowly. He casts a look towards the front of the restaurant, where the next unwitting group of university freshman make their way inside for another round of drinks. 

He regrets coming tonight with every fibre of his completely drunk being. 

“Huang,” one of his seniors says. He can barely tell who it is through the haze of alcohol. ”Your boyfriend is here.”

Renjun straightens, eyes fluttering as he struggles to lift his head off the table. He doesn’t even recall putting it down in the first place. “What?”

The words feel like cotton in his mouth. That last round of soju was definitely a mistake. Faculty get-togethers are generally a mistake. He knows this after countless horror stories that Sicheng had warned him about, all in a half-joking manner that made Renjun more sceptical if anything. But Renjun felt obliged to go attend after the senior in his art history class talked him into joining. Throwing words like ‘faculty bonding’ and ‘friendship’ — all words that Donghyuck continually casts Renjun’s way in an effort to get him to go anywhere else besides the campus art studio and his apartment.

Right now though, all those words are completely irrelevant because Renjun is pretty sure that he was already half-way drunk before any friendships could form beyond the usual greetings. 

“Your boyfriend,” the senior repeats at Renjun’s lack of response. He says it more slowly this time as if it were going to help break through the haze of Renjun’s mind.

“I don’t have a—“ Renjun starts, before the senior gestures to the side. 

After a moment of indecision, Renjun manages to drag his eyes to stare at the figure in front of the table. Tall, dark hair, pale skin, and nose bridge far too distinguishable to be mistaken for anyone else. 

“Injun-ah, let’s go home.”

Oh _god._

He’d know that figure anywhere. 

Standing there is Lee Jeno. Campus heartthrob, university track team starter, and a friend of a friend — shrugged into the same leather jacket that he’s been wearing everywhere these days. It bothers Renjun how well it suits him. Not that he’s noticed.

Renjun blinks at his watch, noting the time being well into the early morning. It’s a wonder that Jeno can look so put together when it’s close to 3:00 a.m., and even more so, willing to pick up Renjun from some random restaurant bar in the middle of Itaewon. Renjun chalks it up to some kind of sorcery or some kind of pretty people privilege.

Jeno makes his way over to Renjun's side, a hand coming to rest against Renjun's shoulder in concern.

Renjun makes a face, cheeks warming up despite the effort to keep them normal. 

“Who called you?” He asks, not caring if it sounds rude. 

“You did,” Jeno says with a slight smile. “You don’t remember?”

_Did I?_ , Renjun thinks. If anything, Jeno would be the last person he’d call. He would have sooner disturbed Jaemin’s sacred beauty sleep before even considering calling Jeno for such a reason.

For a lack of tact, Renjun manages to say this aloud, much to Jeno’s amusement.

“As much as I don’t think that Jaemin would appreciate it, he’s staying with his grandma for the weekend. So sorry, you’re stuck with me.”

He doesn’t really seem to look that apologetic, but Renjun could just be seeing things. 

“It’s fine, really,” Renjun recoils, trying to subtlely pull away from the other boy. “I can get home by myself.”

Jeno frowns. His brow creases, making his features seem sharper than they were just a second ago. 

“Do you need any help?” A short-haired girl who’s probably from one of his art criticism classes asks. Jieun? Jiyeon?, Renjun thinks. She gives the two of them a look of concern.

Renjun wants to say yes, anything to get him out of this extremely awkward situation. But Jeno answers for him, shaking his head and waving her off warmly. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got him.”

She pauses for a second before nodding and walking back to her seat with the rest of Renjun’s faculty group. Renjun tries not to feel so easily abandoned by one of his classmates to someone that they barely know. Even if that person so happens to be Lee Jeno. But he attributes that to Jeno's uncanny ability to get into anyone's good graces with the mere appearance of his smile. 

Seeing as he has no choice, Renjun gets up reluctantly. Though he immediately regrets the movement once he feels his insides lurch, causing him to wobble out of his seat.

Jeno immediately reaches to stable him, a steady hand finding a way around Renjun’s waist.

“Careful,” he murmurs under his breath.

Renjun tenses, pulling away as far as he can without jostling Jeno. But the other boy seems to understand, stepping away and letting his arm fall to his sides. 

“I’m fine,” Renjun says, wishing that the ground would just swallow him whole. 

With a deep sigh, Renjun shakily charges on ahead towards the restaurant exit, making sure to cast some goodbyes to the remaining faculty seniors still seated at the table. He’s vaguely aware of Jeno following closely behind him, and to Renjun’s relief, Jeno makes no other move to hold onto him. 

They weave through the tables, and Renjun lets out a breath of relief when he sees the exit in sight. 

"Got your boyfriend to pick you up, Huang?" 

Renjun stops, turning to the voice standing by the doorway, recognising it to be Minwoo from his design class. Minwoo watches the two of them with amusement, eyeing Jeno with interest. Of course, someone like Jeno would catch the attention of anyone from campus — though the sly look on Minwoo’s face seems to say more than completely unnecessary. 

Renjun would flip him off if his arm wasn't being held down by Jeno's warm grip. When did that even happen? He doubts Jeno would let him go to do something so crude anyway. Luckily, he still has control of his vocal cords.

So he slurs, "He's not my boyfriend."

Minwoo laughs, peering at the two of them in curiosity. "Are you sure about that?" 

Renjun feels his face burn under his scrutiny. Infinitely aware of the weight of where Jeno's arm has come to rest against his waist, feeling the warmth of Jeno’s presence through his denim jacket. _God_ , he wishes he could disappear.

He doesn't know why Jeno is doing this. They've never really been this close, not in all the years that they've known each other. They were more acquaintances with too many mutual friends if anything. 

Over the years, Renjun has been roped into countless get-togethers by Donghyuck and Jaemin, which almost always inevitably meant that Jeno would be there. The three had been friends since childhood, almost glued together on some telepathic level, although Jaemin vehemently denies this, insisting that Donghyuck was a benign tumour on his side that hasn’t left since that first day in kindergarten. 

Renjun met the trio during freshman orientation week, having the same classes with Jaemin, and an elective economics unit with Donghyuck. Come lunch, Renjun had realised that the two knew each other, and wound up meeting Jeno that same day.

But with Jeno, Renjun can count the number of times they've had a conversation without their friends on one hand. Jeno was kind, if a bit soft-spoken, often laughing along with his two best friends’ antics rather than causing a ruckus himself. 

Despite the lack of proper friendship between them, Renjun hates the fact that Jeno is being put under this level of scrutiny of having to look after someone he's not even close with. It’s embarrassing. 

He’s about to tell Minwoo to shut up, but to Renjun’s surprise, Jeno doesn’t even flinch at Minwoo’s accusation. Instead, Jeno levels Minwoo with a bright smile, eyes upturned and tone completely without malice. 

“Thanks for looking out for him. We’ll be leaving now.” 

“What—“ Renjun splutters, refusing to let Jeno speak for him.

“Let’s go, Jun.”

Jeno ushers him along, no even bothering to wait for a response. 

** ~~~ **

They make their way down the street, turning the corner towards the parking lot where Jeno’s car is. The well-maintained sleek black sedan that Jeno spent the entire last summer break working and saving for that Donghyuck jokingly referred to as Jeno’s “baby”. Renjun has only ever ridden in it on the rare occasion that they would carpool together to go to Jaemin’s speed-skating competitions. Even then, Donghyuck had been seated in the backseat, babbling the entire drive and trying to convince Jeno to let him drive for once. But now, it’s just the two of them, and Renjun doesn’t quite know what to expect without any of their other friends to act as a buffer.   


From his pocket, Jeno takes out his keys with his free hand. His left still guiding Renjun towards the passenger's side, pulling the door open as it unlocks. Renjun resigns himself to his fate, figuring that it's too late to try and convince Jeno that he’s sober enough to get home on his own. He’s sure that the buses stopped running hours ago anyway.

Jeno gently ushers Renjun inside, murmuring a small “Careful”.   


It’s too soft, too gentle. It feels strange and out of place to this fragile thing that they call a friendship. Recalling the words of his classmates earlier, the word ‘boyfriend’ falling from their lips so carelessly. It makes Renjun wince. He can’t bear to think of what Jeno seemed to make of it. But if Renjun isn’t going to be able to get home on his own, he can at least try and make this thing clear between them. And so, the words are out of Renjun’s mouth before he can stop them.

“We’re not— we’re not- you-“  


Jeno pulls back to meet Renjun’s eyes. His gaze far too heavy for Renjun to process. “We’re not what, Jun?”  


_What were they?_

If they were anything at all, it could only be friends of friends that just happened to go to the same university.  Renjun can still feel the words caught on his tongue, tangled without a hope of coming together to string anything coherent. So he gives up. Jeno can figure it out on his own.

Renjun sinks into the car seat, shoulders slumping in defeat.   


“Never mind,” he mutters. It’s petulant but Renjun can’t find it in him to care any longer. 

Jeno blinks, but keeps silent, shutting the passenger door and making his way to the driver’s side. Settling in and turning on the engine, Jeno makes no move to drive, instead, turning to Renjun expectantly. 

Renjun feels himself stiffen under his stare. “What?”  


“Seatbelt,” Jeno answers pointedly, looking down at Renjun’s unbuckled seatbelt. “Or do you need help with that too?”

Renjun feels his face flush even more. “Shut up,” he mutters, fingers fumbling to click his seatbelt together. After a minute of hazy grappling, Renjun manages to get himself settled.

Jeno gives him one final once over, deeming Renjun safely strapped in, he begins to pull out of the parking lot. 

** ~~~ **

It’s only after five minutes on the road that Renjun realises that he has no idea where they’re driving. Jeno is the safest driver out of the lot of them, despite the Donghyuck’s number of complaints that Jeno drives like an old grandpa — Renjun can appreciate the lack of reckless driving that would most likely make him hurl. But paired with the soft murmur of the radio in the background, Renjun hadn’t even noticed that they had driven this far.

“Where are we going?” He asks eventually, unable to keep his curiosity. 

They had passed the campus dorms about five blocks ago. Renjun had tried to keep up but was too difficult to keep his eyes on the road without the inevitable feeling of nauseousness warring in his stomach. 

“Home.”

“Mine, or yours?”

“Either,” Jeno says vaguely.

Renjun narrows his eyes. Jeno has never been a good liar. It’s probably one of his more noble traits, even though it doesn’t necessarily work in his favour.

“How do I know that you’re not kidnapping me?”

Jeno slows the car to a stop. Renjun looks out the window, spotting the glow of the red traffic light. The small number of cars still on the road at this time of night reminding him how late it is. 

He turns back only to meet Jeno’s stare, lips upturned in the gentlest of smiles. Renjun feels his breath catch. 

“I would never take you anywhere you wouldn’t want to be, Renjun.”

“Huh,” Renjun finds himself saying. “Okay.”

Ahead of them, the light turns green.

** — **

Jeno continues driving, a little further out of the main parts of the city and towards the suburbs. The route is unfamiliar, but Renjun figures he can trust Jeno enough to know where he’s going. Renjun fumbles restlessly in his seat, bored as he picks at his fingernails. 

Eventually, Renjun finds himself staring at Jeno's side profile. Feeling too queasy to shift his gaze elsewhere, not that he minds. 

He's not blind. Jeno is good looking, ridiculously so. 

Although Renjun’s never admitted it out loud. It’s a well-known fact. But Renjun wasn't about to make himself a part of the vast majority of their university who were enamoured with Jeno's face. There was more to the other boy than that.

Jeno was good-natured, smart, and his campus reputation, —albeit over-exaggerated— Renjun had to admit, was well deserved.

But Jeno was also kind to a fault. He was especially weak when it came to his best friends. No matter how many times Donghyuck had annoyed him to the death, Jeno did almost anything to help the other boy out when he needed it. Even during that time when Donghyuck made the lead role in the university drama faculty production. Jeno had secretly driven and picked up his mum and siblings so that they could watch the musical. Or even that time when Jaemin’s grandma had been taken into hospital, Jeno had driven Jaemin down to Busan overnight, staying with him to drive him back just in time for classes the next Monday.

Even now, with Jeno picking up Renjun in the middle of the night, suburbs away in a restaurant at a party he had nothing to do with. Lee Jeno’s kindness has always been a fact in Renjun’s mind. He’s seen in too many times to count. But Renjun had no idea at what point that he had become privy to that level of kindness too.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Renjun startles out of his reverie, turning to where Jeno has undoubtedly noticed his stare. His feels his cheeks flush, thankful that it’s too dark in the car for Jeno to tell. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he coughs.

It’s not the slightest bit convincing to Renjun’s ears, but Jeno seems to take it without question.

After another ten minutes on the road, they pull up to an apartment block. It’s not too old but not new either. The concrete building slightly worn but well-maintained. Jeno finds a parking spot along the street, manoeuvring into it easily, before turning off the car and heading round to Renjun’s side to help him out. 

As soon as Jeno pulls the door open, Renjun waves him off. 

“I can—“  


“Are you sure?” Jeno cuts in before he can even finish.  


“Yeah, yeah. I got it.“  


Jeno levels him with a loaded look that Renjun refuses to acknowledge, but otherwise steps back to leave Renjun to his own devices. He stands quietly, holding onto the car door.   


With a deep breath, Renjun grapples to take off his own seatbelt, fingers failing to coordinate themselves. But stubborn as he is, Renjun refuses to look up to where Jeno is, probably, inevitably, laughing at him. After a minute of fruitless struggling with the buckle, Renjun sinks back into his seat in defeat. He slumps, trying to stave off the bout of nausea that’s fluttering in his stomach. The least Renjun can do is not throw up in Jeno’s car.

He slides his gaze to where Jeno is standing, a tell-tale lopsided smile on his face. 

His voice comes out small, “Help?”

Jeno laughs, something low and deep that seems to echo in the empty neighbourhood street. The sheer pure amusement in it makes it sound ten times more attractive.

God, Renjun is so drunk. 

Jeno leans down into the car, and Renjun holds a breath as Jeno reaches across his torso to unbuckle the seatbelt. Unlike Renjun’s struggle, the buckle un-clicks with ease. Jeno eases the seatbelt away, careful not to knock into Renjun before letting it retract. 

“Do you think you can stand?”

Renjun sure as hell hopes so. He never wanted to reach an immobile level of drunk. He’s positive that Donghyuck will get a laugh out of this moment once he hears about it. 

  
Renjun twists his legs out of the car, sneakers hitting the asphalt, which is all good and well until he stumbles forward in an awkward attempt to stand. 

He huffs, cursing his body and the long car ride that has seemed to have rendered any mobility that he still had at the restaurant useless. Renjun stands stock still, closing his eyes in an attempt to settle his queasy stomach. When he opens his eyes again, it’s unfortunately to the knowledge, that yes, Renjun is in fact still drunk, standing in the middle of the street at three a.m. with Lee Jeno waiting for him with the patience of a saint. He really wishes he were in bed dreaming instead.

As if sensing Renjun’s dilemma, Jeno gestures an arm out for Renjun to hold onto. Renjun eyes the offending limb for a moment, before reluctantly reaching to grasp on.

Jeno gives him a reassuring smile, reaching behind Renjun to close the car door and locking it with the car keys. Renjun hand settles in the crevice of Jeno’s elbow, the warmth of Jeno’s body breaking through the cold autumn breeze of the night. He tries to keep a distance, but with each bumbling step, Renjun eventually gives up and allows Jeno to lead them towards what is probably Jeno’s apartment.   


Making it through the main foyer of the apartment complex, Jeno shuffles them up two flights of stairs. Renjun swears that his balance has seen better days. And judging by Jeno’s laughter on the matter, he probably agrees. 

They finally stop in front of a door after what feels like forever. Renjun blinks at the door, recognising the number 203 plated in gold on the centre of the frame. 

Jeno swipes the key code in and the door opens with a ring. He guides Renjun inside, shutting the door behind both of them. Renjun can’t do much but settle on the entrance step, leaning over to untie his shoes. But much like the seatbelt situation, he finds himself failing and giving up almost immediately.

It feels ridiculous to ask for help for such a thing, but Renjun’s mother taught him matters. So he looks up at where Jeno has already slipped his sneakers off, tucking them neatly along the wall. 

“Uh, sorry— but I—“ 

_Great, now his mouth doesn’t work either._  


The other boy turns to him confused, before spotting where the laces of Renjun’s sneakers are pulled in all sorts of directions, with no hope of coming undone.

Jeno barely holds back a laugh. “Want help with that?”

“Yes,” Renjun mutters, embarrassed. 

Renjun taps his other foot against the floor while Jeno works on getting his other shoelace untied. He glances at the entrance floor, spotting several shoes lined up by the door. Renjun never really thought Jeno to be the type to have many shoes. The other boy tended to be a bit more frugal than the rest of their friend group, preferring to save for bigger purchases that buying impulsively. 

His curiosity gets the better of him because the question is out of his mouth before he can filter it.

“Why do you have so many shoes?”

Jeno flicks his gaze up to him. “Huh?”

He spots where Renjun is staring. The line of sneakers to boots and dress shoes. All in varying styles. Some duplicates.

“Some are my roommate’s.”

Renjun blinks, finally noticing that some of the shoes are a size different from Jeno’s own. 

“When did you get a roommate?”

Jaemin hadn’t said anything about Jeno having a roommate. The two had shared a dorm room since first year until Jeno had decided to move out on his own. Renjun didn’t even know that Jeno had been looking for a roommate in the first place.  


“Five months ago, give or take?” Jeno answers airily as if Renjun is missing something.

“Oh.”

It’s a beat of silence when Jeno lets out a muttered “finally” as he manages to pull off Renjun’s sneakers, leaving Renjun’s socked feet tapping against the tiled floor as Jeno places them next to his own shoes. 

Renjun takes a look towards the apartment, eyeing the simple and fairly minimal design and furniture expected of university students. A small couch at the centre of the living room, coffee table and television set up with a PlayStation 4 underneath it and a large stack of DVDs. In the dark, he can see the silhouette of photo-frames lining the walls, but he can’t make out the faces. 

“—Jun?”

Renjun blinks to see Jeno standing in front of him with a glass of water and a painkiller in hand. His expression looks concerned, brows knitted together. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just—“ Renjun swallows. The dark shadows in the room cast a shadow on Jeno’s face. His features carved out by the dim light, the sharp handsomeness cut by soft curve of his eyes. Renjun suddenly feels like he can’t breathe.

“You have a nice place,” he finishes lamely.

Jeno lets out a startled laugh. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to let my roommate know. He’s the one who decorated it,” he explains fondly. “He said he didn’t want my questionable design choices tainting the place.”  


Renjun snorts. “Sounds like my kind of guy.”

Jeno tilts his head, a small grin playing on his lips. “Yeah, you two are quite similar.”

Renjun blinks at the odd comment. “Right.”

“Here,” Jeno says, passing Renjun the water and tablet. “For your inevitable headache in the morning.”

Renjun groans, taking them gratefully. “Thanks.”

He sips on the water diligently, internally vows to never go to another faculty get together unless he was with someone that would stop him from drinking too much. Though Renjun doubts that Jeno would want to be responsible for any more than he’s doing right now.

Jeno lets him finish, taking the empty glass and returning it to the kitchen. Renjun stands up slowly, regaining his balance enough to wander around the apartment. Up close, he can spot a yellow blanket thrown over the back of the couch and a row of candles set on the coffee table. In the corner, Renjun recognises Jeno’s guitar that he brings around to campus every now and then.

“You ready to sleep?”

Renjun spins around. He hadn’t even heard Jeno come back. At one point Jeno must have shrugged off his leather jacket because all he’s left wearing is a white t-shirt, that should really, be a lot less attractive than it is.

“Yeah, I’ll just,” Renjun gestures to the couch, about to make his way over when Jeno’s hand catches his wrist.

“You can sleep in my room—“

“I can’t take your bed, Jeno—“ Renjun finds himself babbling. “Where will you sleep?”

Jeno shrugs. “The couch is fine.”

“No.” Renjun shakes his head, attempting to pull away. “I can take the couch, it’s the least that I can do. You’ve done too much already—“

“ _Jun,_ ” Jeno says, much louder this time. It stuns Renjun into silence. He’s rarely heard Jeno ever raise his voice for anything. But even still, this time there is a tinge of gentleness woven into it.   


Jeno places a hand on Renjun’s arm, squeezing it lightly. “It’s fine, honestly. I’d feel much better if you’d take the bed, okay?”

The other boy’s gaze is so earnest. Renjun can barely meet him face on. He bites on his bottom lip, before swallowing in defeat. “Okay.”

With a smile, Jeno leads the way through the apartment, turning the corner passed the kitchen to a bedroom, pushing the door open and ushering Renjun inside. 

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy.”  


The room is on the small side, slightly more lived in compared to the rest of the apartment. With various art prints lining the walls, and a queen-sized bed pushed to the side of the wall and side table with a small lamp on top. It’s a little different to what he would expect Jeno’s room to look like, but it seems like Jeno’s been surprising Renjun in all sorts of ways tonight.   


“It’s not, really,” Renjun manages with a faint smile, walking closer to fiddle with the string of fairy lights hung decoratively against the expanse of wall. The lights are strung in various patterns, twirled in elaborate figures, and it’s only when Renjun steps back that he can make out the shape to resemble the Big Dipper constellation. 

To the side, Jeno reaches over to the flick them on. The lights switch-on to give a soft glow of light. Renjun’s eyes widen at the sight. It’s even more beautiful lit up. 

“I figured you’d like those.”

  
“It’s pretty,” Renjun defends, still observing the slow flicker of the fairy lights.

“Yeah, they are.”

Renjun turns to Jeno to see him return a slight smile. The mellow twinkle highlighting the sharp curves of Jeno’s face. It’s such a contrast to the usual cold first impression that Jeno’s features tend to give off — somewhat younger and more private than it should be. Renjun decides that he likes this part of Jeno even more.   


“Huh,” Renjun manages what feels like minutes of staring. If it were any other occasion, he’d probably feel ashamed of how he’s been blatantly staring at Jeno’s face, but luckily he’s still too drunk to care. 

“You’re a lot softer than you look,” he comments. 

Jeno blinks, startled for a moment before letting out a small laugh, “Thanks, I guess?”  


Renjun flushes in the realisation of what he’s just said. He stays silently mortified at his own drunken confidence. But luckily Jeno makes no other comment.

“We better get you into bed,” Jeno says eventually, guiding Renjun away from the lights.  


Jeno turns towards his wardrobe, pulling out a clean pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, holding them out for Renjun to take. As much as the idea of wearing Jeno’s clothes pains him, Renjun could really do without smelling like alcohol for the rest of the night. 

“Thanks,” Renjun mutters, bumbling awkwardly for a moment, deciding whether he’s drunk enough to even try getting changed in front of Jeno.  


Fortunately, Jeno seems to make that decision for him. “I’ll just grab you some more water while you get changed, okay?”

Renjun nods stiffly. He gets changed as soon as Jeno disappears out the door. Peeling off his sweater and jeans, folding them meticulously and placing them on the floor at the foot of the bed. He pulls on the clothes that Jeno gave him, noting how they seem to be on the loose side, the well-worn t-shirt pulled low around his neck. 

As soon as he’s done, Renjun lets himself sit as soon as his legs hit the edge of the bed. Soon enough, there’s a gentle knock at the door. Renjun lets out a hum of assent, and Jeno’s head pokes through the gap.

He steps inside with the yellow blanket from the living room and larger glass of water in hand which he sets on the bedside table.

“Thought you might get cold,” he says with a shrug when Renjun looks at him in question.

The blanket is a fluffy thing, something that seems at odds with Jeno’s personality. But it looks so infinitely warm that Renjun welcomes it, snuggling into it when Jeno casts it over his shoulders.   


Jeno keeps a grip on the edge of the blanket, not quite ready to let it go. Renjun blinks at him, not sure what the other boy means to do.

“Lie down,” Jeno says as if sensing Renjun’s confusion.

After a moment of hesitation, Renjun lets himself fall back onto the bed. His head hits the soft pillows, letting a waft of strong musk mixed with a floral twinge that feels strangely comforting. 

Jeno regards him funnily, an odd smile playing on his lips that all but disappears once he notices Renjun staring back at him. He coughs, bashful almost, before leaning over to pull the blanket and tucking it close to Renjun’s body.   


Renjun barely stops himself from freezing on the spot. Despite the barrier of the blanket between them, he can still feel the warmth radiating off of Jeno’s body and the solid firm pull of Jeno’s arms as he draws the sheets into place. Renjun stifles a shiver. He’s been in far too close proximity with Lee Jeno far too many times tonight than he’d like to count. And he refuses to embarrass himself any further than he already has.

It’s unexpected, Renjun thinks. The level of delicacy that Jeno is treating him with. Despite the autumn chill that he was feeling just minutes ago, Renjun feels almost as if his body were set alight with no chance of calming down.

“Comfortable?”

“Yeah,” Renjun hums, already halfway to drifting off. 

Jeno steps back, hands falling awkwardly by his sides, and a part of Renjun wishes that he hadn’t. Eventually, Jeno makes his way to the door and turning off the light switch. 

“Jeno,” Renjun finds himself calling out before the other boy can leave. 

The other boy pauses, hand gripped around the door handle. The gentle flicker of lights captured in his eyes. Renjun exhales.

“Thank you, really. For tonight. I’m sorry for being such a hassle.”

A pause lies between them.

“You’re never hassle, Renjun,” Jeno says with a chuckle, but then adds a little more seriously. “Not to me.”  


He pulls the door shut, and before Renjun can process Jeno's words, his eyes draw closed as he drifts off to sleep.

** ~~~ **

It’s noon by the time Renjun wakes up.   


It takes him a minute before he forces his eyes open, immediately shutting them at the sudden influx of brightness. A stream of sunlight streams in through the between the gaps in the blinds, casting a patterned shadow over the bed covers. Renjun lets out a pained groan, twisting his legs in the covers as he stretches.

He blinks at this surroundings, taking in the sight a bedroom. His body still swatched in the yellow blanket, and the colourful posters hanging on the walls. From the corner of his eye, he spots the flicker of fairy lights still on — the subtle hue still too intense for the thrumming beginnings of a hangover in his head.   


Renjun reluctantly sits upright, trying to regain his bearings and taking sight of the room.   


Familiar.

He remembers enough, funnily. The bar. His faculty seniors. 

_Jeno_. 

He winces, recalling the events. The rest of it, he’d rather not have. But he has to leave the bedroom sometime. And thereby acknowledge what happened the night before, no matter how much he doesn’t want to.

Reaching over to the bedside table, Renjun grabs the glass of water and sips at it thoughtfully. Out of habit and a way to delay the inevitable, he folds the yellow blanket that Jeno had given him last night, meticulously folding the corners before setting it down on the edge of the bed. 

Exhaling deeply one last time, Renjun finally rises from the bed, ignoring the slight stir of his stomach and makes his way out. He trails out to the living room, spotting Jeno sitting on the couch, a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. The television turned on with the volume low.  


Renjun walks over, immediately slumping against Jeno’s side, tucking his head into the other boy’s neck. He tucks his legs under him, settling in comfortably as soon as he feels the familiar warmth of Jeno’s arm wrapping around his waist.

“I’m sorry.”

  
Jeno laughs this time, a little quieter than usual. Still mindful of Renjun’s growing hangover. 

“You remember now?”

Renjun lets out an embarrassed hum. _Of course_ , he remembers.

Remembers getting drunk at his faculty get-together. Getting drunk enough to forget that he’s known Jeno for years. And that he's been his boyfriend for more than half of them.

“I don’t see why you couldn’t have just told me,” Renjun huffs. He tangles his fingers into the fabric of Jeno’s t-shirt.

Jeno raises a brow in amusement. “And have you argue with me all night like the last time?”

Renjun winces, burying his face back into Jeno’s side at the memory. The last time this had happened, Jeno had gently tried to explain to Renjun that they were in fact _together_. But of course, Renjun being the stubborn person he is —and even more so when drunk— didn’t believe a word and spent majority of that evening arguing back about how delusional Jeno was being. 

They had been dating for two years then.  


Jeno runs a soothing hand against Renjun’s back. “Although it may have been worth it getting to hear you wax poetic of how handsome you think I am.”

Renjun fights down an embarrassed flush. “Shut up.”

“Cute,” Jeno says with a soft laugh this time, running a hand through Renjun’s hair. He leans forward, pressing a kiss to Renjun’s temple.   


The action is comforting, filled with understanding, and patience. Things that Jeno is full of. And Renjun feels infinitely more lucky to have the other boy in his life. A burst of emotion fills his chest.   


“I love you,” Renjun says, firm and sure. Because he could never not love Lee Jeno. Not in a million years.

“Even if you get so drunk that you don’t remember me?” 

Renjun can feel the reverberations of Jeno’s laughter against his chest. He lifts his head up to look at Jeno, lips downturned. He already feels bad enough. 

Jeno stops laughing, his expression softening into a subtle smile. 

“Hey,” he says, softly. His hand comes up to cup Renjun’s face, thumb brushing against his cheek.   


“I love you too,” he says, making Renjun hum happily in reply.

They sit in silence once more. Jeno focusing on the news on the television while Renjun finds himself on the verge of drifting back off to sleep with the soft patter of Jeno’s fingers drumming against his hip.

“Do you want breakfast?” Jeno asks after a long moment. 

Renjun hums noncommittally. He’s not particularly hungry, but he knows that eating something would probably help with his hangover. He figures that Jeno has been up for more than two hours and was likely waiting for Renjun to wake up before eating.

“We can go to the cafe down the street.”

Renjun shakes his head, face still buried in Jeno’s side. He’s far too comfortable to move. Jeno’s warm and it feels too much like home for Renjun to leave.   


“Well, it’s either that or you can cook. Because the best I can do is cereal.”

Renjun groans. “You’re lame.”

“Come on, get up. I want waffles.” Jeno pats Renjun’s side, already getting up off the couch. Renjun reluctantly follows when Jeno tugs at his arm, lifting him by the waist. 

Jeno shuffles them back to the bedroom. _Their_ bedroom. Jeno chides Renjun for not turning off the fairy lights, before pushing him towards the wardrobe to get dressed. 

After bumbling around and changing into his own clothes, they make it out to the foyer, where Jeno graciously pulls out their jackets from the closet and helping Renjun put it on. On any other given day, Renjun would reprimand Jeno for babying him, but being barely functional from his hangover as it is, Renjun happily lets it slide. 

“Hey,” Renjun says as they’re about to leave, white woollen scarf curled in his hands. "No more drinking, I promise."

Jeno pauses from where he’s locking the front door shut. He meets Renjun’s eyes, waiting, patient and never rushing. It gives Renjun courage to trudge on.  


“Thank you for coming to get me. And dealing with my dumb ass.”

Jeno laughs, arms reaching around to help wrap Renjun’s scarf around his neck, before leaning down to press a kiss to Renjun’s forehead. Soft and sweet. 

“For you, always.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a while but I only ended up writing it completely now, though it ended up being way longer than I expected it to be lol. I wanted to get this out before the year ended so I could keep with my one fic a year tradition lmaoo.
> 
> Fun fact I wrote this to hot girl bummer by blackbear, but it literally has nothing to do with it ha.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated, or if you just wanna yell with me about noren, I'm cool with that too :3


End file.
